Doll

Shows a Native American (Southern Plains (Ute?)) doll. The head is buckskin with buffalo fur for hair; the body is muslin and is covered with a blue wool dress trimmed with red cotton binding. The sleeves are long with purple stripes; the yoke, belt and buckskin boots are decorated with beads.

Date

[between 1870 and 1890]

Notes

Accession ID: E.2028; History Colorado.; Curatorial note supplied by History Colorado: "On February 5, 1997, the Southern Ute Language and Cultural committee visited CHS to conduct research. In the course of viewing Ute objects, Southern Ute Elder, Bertha Grove discussed this doll. Bertha felt that she could sense "energy" from this doll, asserting that upon looking into the doll's eyes, she could almost sense the story of the doll, and that, given some time and a private moment to meditate, she might learn a great deal about the doll. She felt that the maker had some religious purpose in making the doll, and the hair piece (possibly bison fur) might indicate this intent. According to Bertha, the clothing is Ute.; Object ID: E.2028.2; Scanned image from loaned transparency including Object ID.; She said that she learned about Ute culture from her grandparents and that she could hold an object and sense things about it. Further, Bertha stated that she has a dress much like the one on this doll. (See CHS object # E.1857.1, a dress made and worn by Chipeta, wife of Chief Ouray of the Southern Utes.) The head of the doll is constructed of buckskin and buffalo fur; the body is muslin-covered stuffing which has been formed into the shape of a woman. The tin and buckskin thong earrings are in a typical Southern Plains style; the tin is intended to represent the German silver which would have been the metal used to fashion jewelry of this type within this region of the American Southwest.; The hand-stitched dress of coarse, blue wool can be described as a multi-piece trade cloth dress which is trimmed with red cotton binding to prevent the wool from raveling. The undergarment is a long-sleeved dress with gathered skirt, and is made of cotton calico. This style of dress may have first appeared in some parts of the Southern Plains as early 1820. Whether this dress style was entirely "an Indian invention, or whether white traders, settlers, or captives played some role in its design we don not know." (Ewers 1980:75) Based on photographs at the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, we do know that trade cloth dresses such as this one were fashionable among the wives and daughters of prominent men among the Comanche, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho prior to 1876.; Title supplied.; R7200033110